Build Help: 2H Polearm / 1H Polearm + Shield

[Exar0s]

Hey guys, I have tried almost every class and recently decided to main Polearms.

I plan on switching between two-hand polearms and 1 hand polearms/shield depending on the team needs and enemy.

I need advice on the following.

- Attributes (I want to have stopping power above speed)
- Best one hand Polearm to go with a shield (Warspear etc.)
- Best two hand Polearm for long range (Heavy Lance, Long Spear, Pike etc.)
- Best Shield to go with Polearm

I don't know much about Polearms so any advice is welcome! Also, what Polearm is best for Heirloom?

Thanks in advance!

[Arkonor]

Most weapons get at masterwork(+3) level +1 speed +3 on the high damage number and +2 on the lower damage number.

What this means is that the worst weapons in the game get the most out of heirloom-ing them since it isn't percentage based.

Also means that really fast weapons like the two handed Katana get higher % based bonuses then more balanced type of weapons.

But exceptions are for example crossbows they get +13 total if you heirloom both the crossbow and its bolts.

But when you are new I do recommend just going for high damage number weapons at the start. You will get more kills/fun out of the game that way since your blocking is lacking. What I mean is that you will have to successfully block fewer times in a given fight scenario. Plus on for example battle server the time you have to fight an enemy before the situation has changed to the worse by more enemies joining the fight do matter.

So if you go for fast weapons you need to be fast runner also since the situation can get ugly fast. But if you are slow runner you are better off with a weapon that finishes the fight faster.

[Jarlek]

Build and stats
Use this here to check builds: http://infinitum.dyndns.org/crpg/calc.htm
This here is a nice build for a polearm build with shield. It's not the best there is, but a good place to start. People play this game differently so what is best for you might not be the best for others. I suggest that you use Skip The Fun on an alt and test this out. Then tweak it to fit better your playstyle. Wpf isn't actually that important, and if your only gonna take polearm you should just take 3 WM and get 130 pole wpf. It is more than enough. Shieldskill is very important when you use a shield. Never go 1 or 2 shieldskill. 3 is doable. 4 or 5 is the most out of your skillpoints. The jump to 6 shieldskill isn't that big. 7 makes a difference, though, but that is for dedicated shieldbuilds mostly. Ironflesh is also a place you can take points away from, but keep in mind that IF can be REALLY helpfull and save you in a lot of situations.

(click to show/hide)

Level 30 (4 420 577 xp)
Strength: 18
Agility: 18
Skills to attributes: 2
Ironflesh: 6
Power Strike: 6
Shield: 5
Athletics: 6
Weapon Master: 6
Polearm: 154

Weapons
With shield: This really depends on what you are gonna do. Your main weapons would be the Red Tassel Spear, Warspear and Battle Fork. They can fill almost all the needs you have for them (long enough for anti-cav/close infantry support AND fast enough to fight alone with). The Ashwood Pike is by far the best hoplite spear and perfect for anti-cav/infantry support, but it can be a bit difficult to duel with. Fighting alone against groups is even worse, so better pack a backup weapon (quarterstaff is good for this). Also experience a bit with the shorter ones. The spear or shortened spear can actually be very good  to duel with; even when you have the shield out.

Long Range: Pike is the longest and a weapon you can do very well with when you know how to use it. But it's a highly teamweapon so unless you got friends with you (preferably over TS or the like) it can be very frustrating to use. If you fear you're gonna be rushed, drop it and use the backup weapon or pick a better dueling weapon from the ground. The Long Spear is similar to the pike, but faster and shorter. Not that much better in my mind. If your gonna sacrifice the reach, go instead for the Bill, Halberd, Awlpike or Long Awlpike. I think the "best" of those 4 is the awlpike, but don't underestimate the other two. The Halberd is the best jack-of-all-trades in that it is shieldbreaking and does both high cut AND high pierce damage. The awlpike is the best anti-armour (and thus, also anti-not armoured xD) but doesn't have the shieldbreaking ability. The Long Awlpike and Bill are both longer and slower, thus making them more situational. That being said. The Long Awlpike is the KING of wall defending if you know how to use it and the Bill is your number 1 weapon to deal with armoured horses. The pike and long spear is longer and can stop the horse easier, but the bill will almost always kill the horse and usually the rider in one hit. And if the rider didn't die with the horse, then you can always get him with the overhead while he tries to get up.

Hope this helps. Feel free to ask more questions!

[Zerran]

2H pole support: If you want to go dedicated go with the longspear or pike (By dedicated I mean these are 3 slot, so no real backup weapon other than a 1 hander, and they have a very different play-style from any other weapons.)

Alternatively the long awlpike and english bill are fantastic 2 slot support weapons.

1H pole/Shield: Ashwood Pike is, imo, hands down the best option here. Its got great length, high damage, and is a fantastic dueling weapon if you throw the shield on your back. Alternatively the war spear is a very nice option if you want sideswings for dueling.

For a dueling style weapon: Warspear and ashwood pike are very good, as listed above. Alternatively the Long Hafted Blade and glaive are both very good if you value your swings above thrusts. Finally the awlpike needs a mention here. Hits very, VERY hard, and can be spun such that its stabs are almost instant.

Finally, own a bamboo spear. It's, imo, one of the best anti-cav polearms. It's 200 length, which is the 3rd longest weapon in the game (discounting the great lance, which can't be thrust), and is the longest 2 slot weapon. Thereby allowing you to pick another 2 slot sheathable polearm to use when not fighting cav.